An Obsession with All Things Handmade and Home-Cooked

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Talk about a whirl-wind holiday! Is it just me, or did this whole festive day seem to be eclipsed by the madness leading up to it? So much fuss for such a little event, Christmas already feels like a thing of the past, long gone and mostly forgotten. Of course, a few strong drinks no doubt enhances that sensation, and I must claim at least partial responsibility for that this year. While I remain a staunch non-drinker, I have admittedly developed a penchant for alcoholic additions to sweets. This curious dissonance grew more pronounced when my grandma generously gifted me with the better part of her liquor cabinet, previously languishing amongst the bulk wrapping paper and excess Tupperware in the cellar. Glistening bottles of Cassis, Grand Marnier, Framboise, and so many more all beckoned, splashing about beguilingly in the most innocent way a potential poison can manage. Carrying armloads of the ornate glass containers up the stairs and cramming them greedily into an overstuffed bag, little did I know just how these colorful liquids would soon paint my holiday season.

Oh, did I ever have a ball- And I made sure that everyone else had at least a dozen of their own, too! It started simply with my “famous” Pecan Pie Truffles, but all pretense of moderation quickly devolved from there. For friends, family, and anyone who happened to cross my path for the next few weeks, I crafted boozy peppermint mocha bites, chocolatey little numbers enriched with both Kahlúa and Creme de Mènthe. Next there were drunken apple jacks, living up to their names with a generous splash of Applejack to round out a cinnamon-spiced graham cracker base. By far, though, my favorite ball of the bunch were the Speculoos Rum Balls, sticking with the traditional addition of rum, but shaking things up with ground speculoos cookies, a touch of cocoa, and a creamy smear of speculoos spread. The combination of rum and brown sugar biscuits was positively intoxicating, and I swear that’s not just the alcohol’s doing.

There must have been at least 200 balls all told. Nonetheless, every last one was gleefully gobbled up before I realized what a gem I had inadvertently created for New Year’s celebrations as well. Only when it came time to edit the photos did I realize that my pick of the litter, decorated with sparkling pearlized sugar, looked just like the Times Square Ball due to drop at midnight in a scant few days from now. Although I’m quite excited to attend my very first Pineapple Drop this year instead, I don’t see why another round of speculoos balls wouldn’t be a welcome way to celebrate 2015 all the same.

It’s flat-out impossible to ruin rum balls, so let’s keep this tutorial brief, shall we? Simply combine the ground cookies, nut meal of choice, sugar, and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Add in the speculoos spread and rum, and stir thoroughly to incorporate. The resulting mixture will be very thick; you may want to get in there and use your hands to make sure that there are no remaining pockets of dry ingredients. Once fully mixed, use a small cookie scoop or standard spoon to dole out tablespoon-sized pieces. Roll them into balls and then toss them in the sugar or sprinkles, until fully coated.

Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for about a week, or in the fridge for up to a month.

…Is it safe to come out now? Has the Thanksgiving madness come and gone for another year? Thank goodness, it passed without too much fuss or duress around here, and for that, I am truly thankful.

Now that we’re over that hurdle, there’s nothing standing between us and full-blown winter holiday immersion. Decorations and wrapping may have been pushed to a prominent place in stores since Halloween, but now we can finally stop ignoring them- There’s no longer any shame in diving head-first into that sea of iridescent tinsel. It’s my favorite time to cook and bake, when diets don’t even factor in and everyone eats with abandon, simply enjoying the festive foods on offer. Desserts can be desserts, not healthy desserts or breakfast-like desserts (although they may very well be on the menu first thing in the morning, too) and extravagant ingredients can be just par for the course.

If ever there was an easy show-stopper of a treat for the holidays, for me, it would have to be a rum cake. Doused with spirits and emboldened with light spices, I have fond memories of picking moist crumbs off of empty serving plates as I carried them back to the kitchen. Under the guise of being a helpful child, I was really after those leftover scraps.

This year, I gave the traditional bundt a cloak of chocolate, transforming it into a downright fudgy mountain of gently boozy cake. Dotted with sizable chunks of candied ginger, every bite is a little bit different.

Sorry to be a tease, but my Chocolate Rum Bundt recipe can be found in the new November/December issue of Joy of Kosher. Keep an eye on the website though, because they often generously share the recipes after a certain time of having the magazine on the news stands.